Storybook Rangers Pt 1
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky are sucked into a storybook.
1. Book Fair Discoveries

STORYBOOK RANGERS PART 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. The only change in this is that I dropped the monster-making angle since Bulk and Skull know the Rangers' identities. Everything else is the basically the same, though some things are tweaked a smidge. I only own the subplots. This takes place a few days after "On Fins And Needles II".

In the halls of Angel Grove High, the students milled around looking at different books, talking and laughing as they perused them.

"Whoa. There are so many books, I just don't know which one I want," Tina commented, looking through a book on horses.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean, how do you choose?" Justin wondered, thumbing through his own book. Zack and Angela were in another corner, looking through the piles.

"Oh, wow. I don't believe it," she commented. _This is incredible. What a great find_, she thought to herself.

"What? What'd you find?" he queried.

"Look at this copy of Romeo and Juliet. The cover is gorgeous," she answered. Zack looked at the book, which was a hard back and prominently featured the couple in the center, locked in a tight embrace. While not really his type of book, he knew that William Shakespeare was one of her favorite authors.

"You want it?"

"Oh, I don't have the money for it."

"No sweat. The Zack-man's got you covered." Before she could object, Zack handed money to one of the students that had volunteered as a cashier and then handed the book to the girl.

"Oh, Zack. Thank you." She kissed him. _How did I get so lucky?_ she wondered. And to think, she had given him such a hard time. What had she been thinking? He really was very sweet. Zack laughed and returned the kiss. He **loved** making her happy. _Man, she's a babeasaurus_, he thought to himself. Meanwhile, in the Science section, Billy was pretty much in Heaven. _I love this section. So many great books_, he thought to himself. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around.

"Oh. Salutations, Marge," he greeted in pleased surprise.

"Salutations," Marge responded. "Have you located any reading material that's piqued your interest?" she wondered.

"Uh, not as of yet, I-" Billy's voice trailed off as he noticed a book. "Hey, I found it. This is incredible," he said happily, picking a book up.

"Oh, that's a capital find," Marge enthused.

"What is it, Billy?" Adam wondered as he and Aisha came into view.

"Quantum Physics Can Be Fun. I've been looking for a copy for months," Billy responded.

"Was there more than one?" Chris questioned.

"Sorry, man. I didn't see any more," Billy answered. His friend made a noise of frustration and he and Marge laughed.

"Looking for a copy of your own, huh?"

"Yeah, my younger cousin snaked it from me and refuses to give it back." Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Marge laughed.

"Well, I'm going to look around some more. We'll converse later," Marge told them.

"Bye," Billy said shyly as she headed for another section.

"She seems nice," Adam commented.

"Yeah, she is," Billy agreed. Then, he shook his head and laughed.

"I can't believe that Stone Canyon never had a book fair like this," Aisha commented, changing the subject when she saw their friend's discomfort.

"Yeah, I know. It's really a good idea," Rocky agreed as they continued to another part of the fair.

"And besides providing a large collection of reading material generously provided by our peers, the proceeds will most likely prove beneficial to our library," Billy added. Then, "By the way, I thought Bulk would be with you, seeing as how this **is** one of your interests." Aisha sighed.

"I don't get it. Ever since we came back a few days ago, he's been avoiding me. I'm starting to think he's lost interest in me." The boys looked at their friend who looked really sad. Adam was about to say something when Hilary came up to them.

"Aisha, come check out the career table. They actually have a book on how to break into the fashion business," she stated.

"Finally, someone's speaking my language," the girl declared brushing off her sad mood, and followed her friend to the table as the boys laughed. Meanwhile, Kimberly and Tommy were at a section advertising fairytales and myths. Kimberly picked up a book.

"I love fairytales. I always wanted to be a princess and be rescued by a handsome prince on a white horse," she told her boyfriend.

"What about a white tiger…or a green dragon?"

"Hmmm….those could work." He chuckled and watched as she sifted through the books. She let out a surprised gasp.

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"Oh, my gosh! This is a morphinominal find!"

"What? What is?"

"This book." Tommy took a look at the book that had excited his girlfriend. It was blue and had an illustration of a blue elf drawn into a circle.

"Grumble The Magic Elf?" He had never heard of the book. Granted, he had never been much for fairytales, but it wasn't ringing any bells with him.

"My dad used to read me this book when I was a little girl." _Ah, that's why she got excited. The memories,_ he thought to himself. It made sense. He'd give anything to have memories of his real family, but he didn't. However, he had plenty of good memories with his adoptive parents.

"Ohhhhh, this brings back so many memories." Kimberly stared at the book. _Oh, I don't believe this. This is so morphinally cool_! she thought to herself. _Kimberly sat in her father's lap, looking at the storybook and listening as he read to her._

_ "Grumble walked through the forest, pulling the cart of toys silently, knowing that Mondo the Magician would do anything to keep him from completing his task," Jonathan Hart narrated. _ Kimberly laughed again.

"Well, uh, then you should have it." With that, he paid one of the student cashiers.

"Tommy, you are so sweet. Thank you," Kimberly said, kissing her boyfriend. _I can't believe this_, she thought to herself. How'd she get so lucky? She felt like a little kid who could believe in fairytales again. She laughed happily and started flipping through the pages, letting the memories come back to her. Meanwhile, on the moon, Rita had seen the whole thing.

"So, the Pink Ranger likes fairytales, does she?" she queried.

"I wonder how much she'd she like it when she's **in** the fairytale," Scorpina insinuated.

"Perfect idea! Perfect idea!" Rita exclaimed.

"Yes! Inside the book, she'd have to follow the story, but if we take out a key element of the tale, it would be incomplete and she'd never be able to escape," Goldar added.

"Precisely," Rita grinned. She gazed at the Earth through her Repulsa-scope and laughed evilly. _Yes, Power Rangers, time for another chapter in your history, but now __**I**__'__**ll**__ be turning the pages!_ she thought.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

For the cover of Romeo and Juliet I used the Cambridge School Shakespeare Romeo And Juliet, which was originally published in 1992.


	2. Book Surprise

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Reference to "Return Of An Old Friend".

Back at Angel Grove High, the Rangers and their friends were still enjoying the book fair.

"Come on, maybe there's some more fairytale books over there," Tommy said, pointing in a direction. She followed her boyfriend.

"Hey guys, look at this book on meditation," Richie said.

"Yeah, it's really good for the martial arts," Rocky continued, holding up another copy of the book.

"Hey, can I read it when you're done?" Tommy asked, taking Richie's copy.

"Uh…sure," Richie responded. Tommy started flipping through the pages as Ms. Appleby walked up to them.

"Are you kids enjoying the book fair?" she questioned.

"Absolutely Ms. Appleby," Kimberly answered.

"I'm glad to hear it. Remember, the more books we sell, the more the library benefits," she stated, walking away.

"So listen, I have to cut out early to help Ernie, could you tell Trini?" Richie requested.

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Kimberly assured.

"Thanks," Richie said.

"Oh, uh, here's your book back," Tommy stated, handing his friend the book. Richie thanked him and then left. While this was going on, Bulk and Skull were also at the fair.

"Skull, would you hurry up and get the book for your mom's birthday? This isn't my kind of scene," Bulk stated. Skull looked around. As Bulk waited, Jason, Trini, and Rocky who had run into Tommy and Kimberly came up.

"Hey," Trini greeted.

"Hey. Oh, Trini, Richie said he had to leave early to Ernie at the juice bar," Kimberly stated.

"Oh, okay. Thanks," Trini accepted.

"Jase, check out what Tommy bought for me," Kimberly said, proudly displaying the book.

"Grumble The Magic Elf," Jason stated. "Didn't your dad used to read this to you?"

"Yep." Jason smiled softly. He remembered Kim talking about the book all the time when they were kids. It had been her favorite book. Skull let out a noise of frustration breaking his reverie and they turned to him.

"Hey, guys. I didn't think this was your kind of thing…no offense," Trini stated._ I wonder if he's trying to find Aisha_, she thought to herself.

"None taken. It's not," Bulk assured.

"You looking for Aisha?" Tommy asked.

"No," Bulk answered.

"So, then, why…" Jason trailed off, realizing that there was no way to ask his question without sounding rude.

"Skull's trying to find something for his mom's birthday," Bulk replied.

"I see. That's sweet of him," Trini said. "Oh, hey about this? 'How To Cook A Thanksgiving Feast'," Skull stated, holding up the book.

"Ah, that's perfect for your mom-she loves to cook," Bulk responded.

"She…does?" Trini asked in surprise, remembering the woman's attire at previous year's parents' day.

"Don't let her clothes fool you. She's actually really into the whole 'mom' thing, which is good," Bulk answered. Then, his gaze fell on a book.

"Monster Making Made Easy?" he asked, picking it up. Jason, Trini, Rocky, Tommy, and Kimberly looked at the title.

"Uh-oh," Rocky said.

"Who'd be dumb enough to buy a book like **that**?" Skull wondered. _Imagine, wanting to make your own monster_, he thought derisively. The Rangers looked at Bulk who had a strange look on his face.

"Yeah, you're right. That's just inviting trouble," he finally agreed. Then, "You ready to go yet?"

"Yeah." They went to pay for the book.

"So, I haven't found anything else. You guys want to go to the youth center?" Rocky questioned. "Aisha and the others are gonna meet me there." Tommy and Kimberly looked at each other before making a decision.

"Okay," Kimberly agreed.

"All right," Tommy responded at the same. "Jase, Trini, what about you?"

"No, I'm still looking," Trini answered.

"Jase?" the others asked of the boy who hadn't answered.

"I'm still looking too. Like Skull, I'm looking for a birthday present for my mom," Jason answered.

"What are you going to get her?" Rocky asked.

"She's really into books, but I've gotta find one that's really morphinominal!" Jason answered.

"Good luck with that man," Tommy said.

"Come on, let's go see what we can find," Trini said. They made plans to meet, Kimberly stating that they would cut through the park, and the two went back to the fair as Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky left. On the moon, Squatt and Baboo clapped excitedly.

"Ooooh! Trapping the Rangers in a storybook! This is going to be **fun**!" Baboo cheered.

"Empress, three of the Rangers are out in the open. You could easily dispose of them now," Goldar told her.

"Yes, you're right, Goldar," Rita agreed, turning her attention to Earth. She aimed her staff and fired it.

"I am **so** glad I found this book, Tommy," Kimberly said. She screamed in surprise as electricity crackled and the book flew through the air and into a trash can.

"Whoa. That was weird," Tommy commented and they headed for the bin.

"Do you think Rita or Zedd had anything to do with it?" Rocky wondered.

"I'm thinking 'yes'," Kimberly replied as the book pulsated in a red-ish glow. Lightning filled the sky.

"Whoa. What's happening?" Kimberly wondered before they all felt themselves dematerializing. Seconds later, they landed in a heap on the ground. The trio stood up.

"Where are we?" Tommy wondered.

"This place looks really familiar," Kimberly noted, looking around. _Why do I feel like I know this place? And what are Rita and Zedd up to?_ she wondered.

"It does?" Rocky questioned. A bluebird chirped as it and two white butterflies flew by.

"Uh-oh," Kimberly said, realizing at once where they were. _Great. Just great_, she thought to herself. This was **not** how she wanted to spend her day.

"Kim, what is it?"

"We're in my book."


	3. Part Of The Tale

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots.

_In the book? That's not good_, Tommy thought to himself. By the looks on Rocky and Kimberly's faces, he gathered they were thinking the same thing.

"We better call for help," Tommy said.

"Yeah, something tells me we're gonna need it," Rocky agreed.

"Zordon, it's Tommy. Come in," the two-colored Ranger said into his communicator. However, there was nothing but silence. He tapped his communicator expecting to hear the high-pitched squeal that they occasionally heard when the devices were down, but there was only silence.

"Jason, guys? Can you hear us?" Kimberly questioned, turning to her own communicator. Again, there was nothing but silence. Their communicators didn't even make a squealing noise.

"Why don't we try teleporting?" Rocky suggested. The trio did so, but found that they couldn't do that either.

"Great. We're completely cut off," Kimberly huffed, trying to quell her unease. _Oh, what are they planning?_ she wondered. This was new territory, even by Ranger standards and she would feel a **whole** lot better if there was some way they could reach the others. Rita laughed.

"That's right, Kimmie! Zordon and your little friends can't help you now!" she taunted.

"And with those three out of commission, the others will drop like flies!" Scorpina enthused.

"And it was all possible because of Empress Rita," Goldar declared. In the youth center, the rest of the Rangers except for Jason and Trini, as well as their friends with the exception of Richie who was still working, were sitting at a table.

"I'm worried. Shouldn't they have been here by now?" Aisha asked.

"Well, Tommy's always late. But not Kim," Zack replied.

"You don't think something's happened to them, do you?" Zane queried.

"Hey, why don't we just give them a few more minutes?" Curtis suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure they're okay," Angela agreed. Back in the storybook, Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky were trying to come up with a way to get out of the book.

"Maybe we should just morph," Rocky suggested after a while. "I mean, we sometimes automatically just teleport."

"Yeah, but that's when we're about to go into battle. There's no guarantee that would work here," Tommy pointed out.

"Well, we could-" Kimberly started to say.

"Okay, what are you doing here? Who are you? Come on, I don't have all day," a voice interrupted.

"Grumble?" Kimberly wondered.

"Who?" Rocky asked.

"Answer the second question first," the voice continued as a blue figure with a white beard wearing a Santa costume appeared.

"Grumble! Thank goodness!" Kimberly exclaimed.

"What, you know this guy?" Rocky questioned. _What, did she meet him during a mission or something?_ he wondered to himself.

"I said, 'Who are you'?" Grumble repeated harshly. _Well, there goes __**that**__ theory_, Rocky thought to himself.

"Hi, I'm Kimberly. This is Tommy and Rocky, and you're-" Kimberly started.

"Grumble the elf," he finished with her. "What's it to you, girlie?"

"What's with him?" Tommy asked Rocky.

"An evil magician put a spell on Grumble and turned him into a grouch," Kimberly answered. "And he has to deliver these toys to the children if he ever wants to be nice again."

"What are you, some kind of gossip or something?" Grumble inwardly winced at the words that came out of his mouth. But he couldn't stop himself. Mondo's magic was too strong. At least the girl didn't get upset with him.

"I've heard this story a hundred times."

"So, what do you want, a medal? I've got work to do." He pushed her out of the way. "Get out of my way. I've got work to do."

"Let's follow him. Maybe if we finish the story along with him, we can get out of here," Kimberly suggested.

"Good idea," the boys agreed. Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky hurried after him. Meanwhile, the monster alarm in the Command Center blared as Alpha ran a scan on Angel Grove.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! The sensors are picking up a disturbance, but at the same time, I'm not seeing anything amiss!" On the moon, Zedd walked into the main area of the palace.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Rita has trapped three of the Rangers in a storybook," Goldar reported, trying not to sound smug.

"And what if they make it to the end of the story?" Zedd demanded.

"But they won't, Zeddy! I was spying on them and according to Pinky, the elf has to deliver the toys to some children to get the spell lifted."

"So?"

"So, we can send some Putties down to steal the toys, that way, the story won't end and the Power Brats will **never** escape." With that, she had Finster make Putties, who were soon sent into the book. On Earth, two boys were walking through the park when they saw the book.

"Hey, why would someone throw away a perfectly good book?" the first boy wondered.

"I don't know, man," his friend answered. "Why don't we give it to Ms. Appleby? It'll probably sell at the fair."

"Good idea." They walked off, unaware of the book's unusual content. In the book, Grumble was still complaining.

"Whistle while I work. Whose stupid idea was that? You whistle when you're happy. Do I look happy? This is not a happy elf you're looking at," he complained out loud.

"Hey, Grumble!" Kimberly called, as they caught up with him.

"Oh, you again. What do you want?" Grumble asked.

"Well, we were thinking we could go with you, you know, help deliver the toys to the kids," Kimberly answered.

"So, you want to tag along huh?" Grumble queried. "Okay, fine. But don't talk to me." they continued on their way, unaware that they were being followed. Suddenly, there was a rustling noise.

"What was that?" Kimberly asked.

"Listen Girlie, if you're going to complain-" whatever Grumble was going to say got cut off as the Putties surrounded them. Grumble let out a cry of surprise as the three Rangers went into action.

"Geez! What's going on here? What are these guys, some kind of mixed-up Robin Hoods?" Grumble wondered. He winced as one of the creatures hit Kimberly. The attacks kept coming until the three were winded. Seeing the chance, the Putties grabbed the toys and then disappeared.

"Oh, this is great. Now I've got no toys, the kids will be disappointed, the spell will never be lifted, and I've got you, you, and you to thank for it," Grumble griped, pointing at the Rangers. Then, he took off. Rocky and Tommy hurried after Grumble as Kimberly stood there for a minute. _What if we never get out of here? I'll never see my parents or my friends again_, she thought to herself.

"Kim, you okay?" Tommy asked, as the two boys slowed. She nodded and stared at them determinedly.

"I'm fine," she assured. She couldn't break down. They had been in tougher situations before. "I just liked this story a **whole** lot more when I wasn't in it." With that, they headed off.


	4. Storybook Adventure

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I'm making up Ms. Appleby and Mr. Caplan's first names. And not everyone calls their principal by the title. When I was elementary school, we called him "Mr." and then his last name. I use a line from "Green With Evil 4: Eclipsing Megazord" and also make a reference to it.

On the moon, Zedd laughed.

"This is undoubtedly the final chapter for those accursed Rangers."

"Yes, now this is a story worth telling, my love." Rita laughed as Goldar and Scorpina watched them.

"I can't **wait** to destroy him," Goldar snarled, clenching a fist.

"Easy, darling. The time will come," Scorpina assured, placing a hand on his wrist. Meanwhile, at Bulk's house, Skull was wrapping the gift for his mother.

"You know Skull, I was almost tempted to buy that monster-making book."

"What? Why?"

"It seemed like it would've been a good way to draw them out-if we didn't already know who they were."

"Yeah, it's hard to believe sometimes, huh? **Them**?"

"I'll say. I always just thought they were dweebs."

"But I have to admit, I can see Kimberly as Pink. She's always had this strength…even if she didn't know it." Bulk nodded.

"And Aisha too."

"Yeah." The two boys grinned.

"So Bulkie, have you asked her out again?"

"Nah. I-I wouldn't want to distract her." Meanwhile, at the youth center, the others had become increasingly worried.

"I don't like this. I mean, I know Tommy's late, but Kimberly and Rocky should've been here a long time ago," Aisha stated.

"Well, maybe Bulk and Skull ran across them. Why don't you give them a call?" Adam suggested. Aisha did so. Hearing the noise, Bulk stopped and pressed a button, fervently hoping he hadn't just pressed the teleportation button instead of the talk button.

"Bulk here," he announced hesitantly.

"Bulk, have you seen Tommy, Kim, and Rocky? They were going to meet us at the youth center, but they never showed," Aisha said.

"Haven't seen them since the fair. Sorry," Bulk announced.

"Okay, thanks," Aisha responded.

"How do you turn this thing off?" they all heard him ask. The others stifled laughs. Then, they became serious.

"Why don't we check back at the book fair? I mean, maybe one of them remembered seeing a book that they liked and then just got distracted," Jason suggested and they headed back.

"Hey, Richie, I know I said we could spar together, but Kim, Rocky, and Tommy haven't shown up yet, so we're going back to book fair to see if they went back," Trini called.

"All right. Anything wrong?" Richie wondered. Ernie turned around at the slight concern in his employee's voice.

"I don't think so, but just to be on the safe side…" Trini's voice trailed off.

"Right," Richie nodded.

"Hey, if they show, I'll tell them you're looking for them," Ernie stated.

"Thanks, Ernie!" Zack acknowledged. Then, the Rangers headed out. Meanwhile, in the Command Center, Alpha had finally discovered what was causing the disturbance, via the viewing globe's memory.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi! Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky have been sucked into her book."

"Contact the other Rangers at once." Alpha did so. The Rangers, who had made it halfway through the park, stopped when they heard the tone.

"What's up, Zordon?" Jason asked.

"Report to the Command Center immediately," Zordon instructed. They all looked around to make sure it was clear. Once they were sure that it was, they teleported.

"Zordon, what's going on? Where are Rocky, Kimberly, and Tommy?" Aisha wondered.

"They were pulled into Kimberly's storybook," Zordon responded.

"What?" everyone asked, turning to face the globe.

"Oh, man. Talk about a twisted fairytale," Zack complained.

"They just have to get to the end of the story, right? And then they'll be free," Aisha said optimistically.

"Unfortunately, Rita had her Putties steal the elf's toys so that the story could not end," Zordon revealed.

"Oh, man," Jason said.

"What exactly is the story?" Adam wondered.

"It's Grumble The Magic Elf. Grumble's placed under a spell by the evil magician Mondo, and it turns him into this big grouch," Jason answered.

"So, how does he break the spell?" Adam asked.

"At the end of the book, Grumble delivers toys to kids in an orphanage and the act of kindness lifts the spell," Trini explained.

"But without the story's key component, the likelihood of them escaping are basically nil," Billy told them.

"Man, we can't just leave them there!" Zack cried. In the storybook, the three Rangers shivered.

"Guys, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have walked up to the book when it started acting strangely. It was a rookie mistake," Kimberly apologized as she sat on a rock. Her boyfriend put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, no it's not. We all walked up to it," Tommy told her, squeezing it. She smiled at him gratefully as she felt some of his strength flow into her.

"Yeah, and the only ones to blame for this are Rita and Zedd," Rocky added.

"And hey, maybe Grumble knows a different way to get out of here," Tommy suggested.

"It's worth a shot," Kimberly agreed. "Come on, let's go find him." They all took off. At the book fair , the two boys handed the book to Ms. Appleby.

"Thank you, boys. I'm sure we'll be able to sell this. Fairytales are always popular," she told them. They left just as Principal Richard Caplan walked up.

"Well, Sarah, how goes the fair?" the man asked.

"Very well, Mr. Caplan," Ms. Appleby answered. "The kids seem to really be enjoying themselves," she continued.

"Good. It's nice to hear that the kids are showing school spirit. Carry on," the man said, and began to walk around.

"Grumble The Magic Elf," she read out loud. _This was one of my favorites when __**I**__ was little_, she thought. Soon, she found herself thinking of younger days as she flipped through the pages, not realizing that if she had looked closer, she would've noticed the three new characters in the book. Back at Bulk's house, the two former bullies looked at each other.

"Do you think they're okay?" Skull asked.

"I'm sure they're fine. They're all strong, even without their powers," Bulk assured.

"Right. And Kim's tougher than they give her credit for," Skull nodded. They'd be okay. They just had to be. In the Command Center, the other Rangers were frowning thoughtfully.

"Wait a minute. Perhaps if we were to reconstruct the toys," Billy suggested.

"That just might work," Jason approved. "Trini, can you do it?"

"I'm all over it," Trini assured. Just then, the alarm blared.

"What's that?" Adam asked.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! I'm not sure!" Alpha answered. Back in Grumble The Magic Elf, Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky had found themselves in a valley of snow.

"I think we're lost you guys," Tommy stated.

"Yeah, and we're not exactly dressed for it, either," Rocky commented.

"We're not lost but I don't think you guys want to know where we are," Kimberly told them. Rocky was about to ask her what she meant, but was cut off by a loud rumble that sounded like a footstep.

"Whoa!" Kimberly cried. The sound came again. "Oh, I always hated this part of the story!" she continued.

"Kim, what is it? What's going on?" Tommy wondered. The next crash knocked them off of their feet.

"You guys, there's a snow monster in this part of the book," she told them. "He's really ugly, and…guess what? He doesn't like uninvited guests." The all turned around as the footsteps came closer.

"Pardon the chilly reception, but I don't recall any of you asking permission to make snow angels in my valley," the snow monster snapped. They turned around to see that it had a blue and white body that was covered by white shaggy fur, and had a thick, white mustache that complimented its long, sharp, menacing teeth. Rocky and Tommy instinctively pulled Kimberly closer, moving so that they were side-by-side. In the Command Center, Billy had been working the consoles.

"I found them," he finally said. They turned to the viewing globe.

"We can't fight him through all of this ice!" they heard Tommy say as he and Rocky covered Kimberly to protect her from the falling debris.

"They're in trouble!" Aisha exclaimed.

"They must be on the page with the snow monster," Jason surmised.

"Where could the book be?" Adam wondered.

"It's probably at the book fair," Zack answered.

"Come on, let's go," Jason said. They teleported to the school and began looking for the book. Inside, Kimberly, Rocky, and Tommy stood up.

"It's morphin' time!" Tommy shouted. The trio pulled out their Morphers and there was a whirring sound.

"Huh?" they asked.

"We're not morphing," Kimberly said in trepidation. _Not again_, she thought. The last time something like this had happened, Goldar had been destroying downtown Angel Grove.

"The cold-it must've froze our Morphers," Rocky realized. The monster used his powers to summon up a storm. On the moon, Rita and Zedd laughed.

"YES! I love it! They'll be frozen to death in a storybook and no one will be none the wiser!" Zedd cheered.

"And once the other Rangers are destroyed, the world will be ours for the taking," Rita added. They laughed. At the youth center, Richie, Justin, Tina, Zane, Hilary, Chris tried to act normally and not hide their concern. Just then, Bulk and Skull came in.

"Hey guys," Richie greeted.

"Any word?" Bulk asked. Richie shook his head. Ernie watched the exchange with interest, but didn't say a word. _I still don't understand why they're all so friendly with each other all of sudden. It's weird_, he thought to himself. On the moon, Rita was looking through the telescope and had taken to zooming in on the pictures in the book.

"What are you doing, my Putrid Pumpkin?"

"Looking for a monster to make."

"Why not have Finster make a monster?"

"And have the Rangers expect it? No! We need something that'll throw the Rangers off guard!" She continued until she noticed something that fit her qualifications.

"YES! YES! YES! IT'S PERFECT!" She hurried away, got her crystal ball, and began chanting in a foreign language. In the book that she had seen, the picture of the creature she had selected shimmered and faded, and within seconds, it had disappeared from the book and soared through the sky. Back in their own book, Rocky, Tommy, and Kimberly ran as the storm intensified. Kimberly shivered and Tommy pulled her close.

"This isn't good," Rocky said.

"I'll say," Kimberly agreed.

"Aw man, if we don't figure out a way to get the Morphers to work and get out of here, we're going to have a **real** unhappy ending," Tommy declared. In the Command Center, Alpha watched nervously.

"This will never be a best-seller," the robot predicted. At the book fair, the Rangers had found it.

"Oh, thank goodness," Jason said.

"But is it the right copy?" Adam wondered. Jason opened the book and flipped to the page.

"Yep," he confirmed. He then paid the cashier and they all ran out. Once they were clear, they teleported.

"Hooray!" Alpha cheered when he saw the book.

"We must find a way to free them before it's too late," Zordon told them.

"Huh?"

"Behold the viewing globe." The other Rangers turned around and gasped.

"Oh, no!" Aisha said. Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky got into defensive stances. If they couldn't morph, they would just have to do their best. The creature charged at them and they kicked and punched it, knocking it down, and then ran off. The Snow Monster roared and increased its power. They three slowed as their vision became impaired.

"I can't see anything!" Tommy yelled, and they all instinctively grabbed on to one another.

"He's creating an avalanche!" Rocky shouted. The snow came down harder and all around them. Kimberly screamed in fear.

TO BE CONTINUED…

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Even though Mr. Caplan was informal with Ms. Appleby, I had her address him formally because he's her boss and having her call him by his first name didn't seem right.


End file.
